About Breaking the Chains of Perfectionism

Rooted & Rising: Growth from the Greenhouse

What happens when a pastor's kid who's internalized the need for perfection faces real-life chaos? Victoria Bowers' story is one of struggle, surrender, and supernatural freedom that will resonate with anyone who's ever felt crushed by their own expectations.
Growing up homeschooled in a pastor's family, Victoria absorbed an unspoken message: be perfect. This mindset served her well initially—marrying young, creating an idyllic military family life, and experiencing an "easy" first baby seemed to confirm she was doing everything right. But when military deployments, relocations, and a challenging second child shattered her perfect bubble, Victoria found herself spiraling into anxiety and panic attacks.
The breaking point came during the early days of COVID-19. On her son's first birthday, Victoria's husband received an emergency call ordering him back to base immediately, leaving her alone with two small children amid worldwide uncertainty. In this moment of complete vulnerability, God used her father's simple wisdom to cut through the noise: "Anxiety is a spirit. What are you holding onto so tightly that you can't let God take control?"
This conversation reveals the powerful moment of surrender that followed—a prayer on her knees that led to immediate freedom from panic attacks that Victoria maintains to this day. Her journey illuminates how perfectionism often masks a deeper spiritual issue: a lack of trust in God's goodness and control.
"There's so much beauty in the mess," Victoria now shares from experience. "There's so much beauty when it's not perfect, and there's so much beauty in that hard season where God will show His glory." If you're struggling with anxiety, perfectionism, or the weight of expectations, this episode offers a roadmap to the freedom that comes not through achieving perfection, but through surrendering our desire for it.
Listen now to discover how releasing control might be the very key to finding the peace you've been searching for all along. What might God be asking you to surrender today?

Join us for our conversation with Victoria about motherhood and letting go when mothers go to be with the Father.

Chapters

1. About Breaking the Chains of Perfectionism (00:00:00)

2. Introduction to Victoria Bowers (00:00:59)

3. Growing Up Homeschooled in a Pastor's Family (00:03:11)

4. Early Marriage and Perfect First Baby (00:08:51)

5. When Everything Stopped Being Perfect (00:16:49)

6. COVID Crisis and Military Separation (00:23:15)

7. Breaking Free from Anxiety and Control (00:27:40)

8. Finding Beauty in the Mess (00:30:46)